A road to recovery for pollinators:  roadside verge management

Managed correctly, roadside verges can provide a lifeline for pollinators and other insects, providing corridors of connected habitat enabling different species to move more freely across our landscape.

However, often road verges are cut too frequently and at the wrong time, or not cut at all and become scrub. They need to be restored to bring them back into condition and managed into the future.

Investing in biodiversity

Within Cumbria, National Highways are responsible for the A66, M6, A590 and part of A595. 

In 2015 ring-fenced environmental funding from the Government’s road investment strategy was made available for different habitat creation and restoration projects.

As a result of this investment, Cumbria Wildlife Trust has worked in partnership with National Highways and other agencies, ecologists and conservation bodies to develop projects to research, pilot and develop strategies and appropriate management to increase biodiversity on the road verges that National Highways manage, without compromising road safety.

This has provided opportunity to make fundamental changes to the ongoing management of verges, and a range of other environmentally driven projects are now being delivered along these road networks in Cumbria, including Get Cumbria Buzzing! project.

Work on the ground

Led by Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Get Cumbria Buzzing! was a partnership project that was directly focused on increasing the abundance and diversity of pollinators in the north west of the county along ecological networks, which includes parts of the A595 and A66.

Species–rich grassland is one of the best habitats to support a diverse range of pollinators. Interspersed with scrub, trees, and hedgerows and undisturbed tall grass, they together provide a variety of habitat which benefits both flora and fauna.

Get Cumbria Buzzing! restored 115 hectares of pollinator friendly habitat, which includes 39 hectares of verge habitat.

Elsewhere, National Highways delivered habitat restoration and creation schemes on the A590 and M6. In total, across Cumbria, approximately 120 hectares of species rich verges spanning over 200km (A66/M6/A590/A595) has been restored and created so far.

Ongoing management

Annual grass cutting is planned every August and September to reduce the nutrients in the soil, which in turn reduces growth of competitive grasses and allows native wildflowers to flourish, and prevents grassland reverting to rank grass and scrub.

This management is in line with ‘Plantlife Managing grassland road verges: A best practice guide’. This huge operational task is carefully planned to minimise costs and disruption.

Road safety is paramount

Besides increasing biodiversity, ensuring the safety of people who travel and work on roads is paramount. To maintain visibility and prevent encroachment Highways England undertake maintenance and safety cuts throughout the growing season.

To allow safe access for break downs, visibility of the safety barrier and inspection of the highway, the immediate verge (2m) from the kerb line is cut twice a year.

In addition to this, 200m lengths on either side of junctions are cut to maintain sight lines and visibility. Vegetation is also cleared on the approach to signs to ensure they remain visible. Verges around footways and cycleways are maintained to remove obstructions, such as overhanging branches, for cyclists and pedestrians.

Innovative equipment

The use of machinery improves safety for road workers and minimises disruption to road users and residents.  Latest machinery including robocut/cut and collect mowers are more efficient and precise than alternatives such as manual strimmers and rakes, providing flower-rich habitats that better support native pollinators and their predators. 

A site walkover before working on the verge sites ensures minimal impacts to species present on the day of the works. 

Since partnership working began in 2015, National Highways and Cumbria Wildlife Trust have also worked closely with a wide range of road engineers, operations managers, and others engaged with verge management to share knowledge, learning and best practice which in turn has helped to inform latest guidance and a national approach to road verge management.

Whilst ongoing monitoring and assessment will continue to inform current strategies, this approach underpins ongoing management of Cumbria road verges managed by Highways England, and partnership projects such as Get Cumbria Buzzing!